Abstract
Background: Whey protein is a commonly used protein supplement among patients with malnutrition, post gastrointestinal surgeries, and chronic diseases. After consumption, this protein is broken down into smaller peptides by endogenous peptidases and absorption occurs within 90 min or else the larger undigested peptides are excreted, thus poor protein absorption. Furthermore, the larger peptides composed of more than seven amino acids may trigger an immune response, causing discomfort and even inflammation in the gut. To overcome such drawbacks, exogenous digestive peptidases like aminace, which is a proteolytic enzyme on addition with whey protein helps in effective degradation and absorption of proteins.

Aims and Objectives: The aim of the study was to evaluate the efficacy of aminace, a proteolytic enzyme combined with whey protein compared with whey protein alone in the improvement of protein status in albino rats.

Materials and Methods: A total of 18 male albino rats weighing about 150–300 g were divided into three groups of six rats each. Group 1 (standard) - whey protein (200 mg/kg) alone, Group 2 (test) - whey protein (200 mg/kg) with proteolytic enzymes (aminace), and Group 3 (test control) - proteolytic enzyme (aminace) alone were administered orally daily for 2 weeks. The efficacy parameters analyzed were body weight and the total serum protein levels.

Results: Oneway ANOVA was used to compare the mean of all the groups followed by post hoc Tukey’s test. There was a statistically significant improvement in weight gain in Group 2 animals compared to other groups (P < 0.001). Though there was rise in the total serum protein levels among the Groups 2 animals, it was not statistically significant.

Conclusion: Addition of aminace, a proteolytic enzyme, helped in better utilization of protein and hence could be taken along with protein supplements for better absorption.

Key words: Whey protein; Aminace; Protein status